Article by Chris Pitt
National Hunt jockey Paul Bloomfield was retained by Nottinghamshire trainer Stan Palmer during the early 1970s and rode 18 winners over jumps plus one on the Flat.
Christened Malcolm Paul Bloomfield but always known as Paul, he was born on April 24, 1950.
He served a five-year apprenticeship with George Vergette at Market Deeping from September 1965 to September 1970 and rode his first winner on Vergette’s Welsh Topaz in a five-furlong seller at Warwick on Bank Holiday Monday, August 28, 1967.
Although he was able to do 7st 13lb when riding Welsh Topaz, his future lay over jumps, which was fortunate as Vergette was far better known for his exploits in the National Hunt sphere. A former steeplechase jockey, he had gone close to saddling the winner of the 1964 Grand National with Purple Silk, who was collared in the dying strides by Team Spirit.
Vergette was also responsible for training Paul’s first winner over hurdles, Pure Gem at Wetherby on March 8, 1969, in the colours of Frank Gilman, who was destined to go one better than Vergette by training Grittar to win the 1982 Grand National.
Paul’s second winner over jumps, his only success of the 1969/70 campaign, was on the Bill O’Gorman-trained Riding Hood at Fakenham on Easter Monday. The following season again yielded just one winner, but he then he joined forces with Stan Palmer and his tally rose to six in 1971/72, half of those being supplied by novice hurdler Morgan’s Mark, who scored three times in 16 days with late-season victories in May at Uttoxeter and twice at Southwell.
He rode three winners in 1972/73, including one on Morgan’s Mark at Stratford on the penultimate day of the season, but improved that to four in 73/74, the first of which was on Gin Fizz at Nottingham in November for his old guvnor George Vergette. Newmarket trainer David Ringer’s novice hurdler Trikomo was Paul’s next winner, at Market Rasen on Boxing Day, followed by another Market Rasen success on Stan Palmer’s novice chaser Irish Special in January. His fourth and final success of that season came on Palmer’s hurdler Hilda’s Hurricane at Southwell in March.
He rode just two more winners, both for George Vergette and both at Wetherby in the 1974/75 season, firstly on Gin Fizz on November 15 and lastly on juvenile hurdler Barberry on December 27. He rode for one more season before hanging up his boots and saddle.
